Welcoming the Nari Shakti Vandan Bill for reservation to women, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday demanded provision for quota for the backward and extremely backward classes in it.

Through his social account on Tuesday, Kumar hailed the centre's move emphasizing his demand for making provision for reservations for backward and extremely backward women as has been made for the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe in the bill.

Kumar said that according to the proposed bill, the women's reservation would be implemented after the census and delimitation of the constituencies.

He suggested completing the census at the earliest as it was due in 2021 itself.

He also suggested conducting a caste survey along with the general census to give adequate benefit to the women.

Had the Caste Census been done earlier, the reservation for women belonging to Backward and Extremely Backward classes could have been implemented immediately, he quipped. It is only then that women would be benefited in a true sense, added Kumar.

Kumar reiterated that he was in favour of women's empowerment since the beginning and took several steps for it in Bihar under which 50% reservation in panchayat was given in 2006 followed by the same in the Civic body elections.

The Chief Minister said that a minimum of 33% of seats in medical, engineering and sports universities have been reserved for girls.

(With UNI Inputs)